


Flowers In Her Hair, But It Just Ain't Right

by killajokejosie



Series: White Knuckles History [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Captain Marvel (DC), Lab Rats (TV 2012), Shazam (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Babies, Cemetery, F/M, Infertility, Love, M/M, Martians, Only one way to fix this, People are Dumb, Planned Pregnancy, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Paul, Reincarnation, Soul Sharing, Trouble, Weird Biology, graves, it all blows up in their faces, laughing, life - Freeform, not going to end the way you think, shouting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-12-10 00:42:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11680437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killajokejosie/pseuds/killajokejosie
Summary: They always knew that there would be complications after the soul sharing. It was bound to happen. The only problem was that no one knew exactly what those complications may be. It may have saved a life, but did it ruin a marriage?





	1. I'm Not Used To Losing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LabRatsWhore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LabRatsWhore/gifts).



> Don't kill me...

"Not again," Paul groaned, lifting his head off of the pillow for a moment before slamming his skull back down into the fluffy mass. He rolled onto his side, checking the time on his phone. At this rate, he was never going to get any sleep. 

An arm snaked around his waist, soft lips pressing into the back of his neck. He shuddered at the touch, loving how warm and familiar it was. 

"Are they going at it, still?" A rough voice belonging to the being who was flush against him asked. 

"Yes, this makes the fifth time tonight. His stamina is ridiculous, even for a god."

The voice chuckled. Paul absolutely loved that sound. 

"It is sort of a amazing that the poor girl has not been made raw at this point," He added, beginning to feel the strange tight tingle deep in the pit of his stomach. 

The young body moved away for him for a moment, tugging his shoulder until he was on his back. "Perhaps, we should ruin their night in order to get you back to sleep. I bet I can make it worth it."

Paul sighed. "My dear, I am unsure if that is the proper route to take in solving our problem. They are trying to conceive and are having a difficult time. These things happen."

The man positioned himself on top of Paul. His legs on either side of the older martian's hips, grinding down on him just a little. "That half of your soul that you gave her belongs to me, as far as I am concerned. And, since there is no way for me to get it back, not that I currently need it, we ought to make good use of the personal brand of torture that it creates since she is so quick to put you through it."

Paul tried not to moan, but it was no use. "Jay..."

He pressed a finger against Paul's lips. "You can call me John, Macca, we are alone,"

Just like that Paul was biting his lip. He gave in. John's lips trailed down his chest and stomach and even lower. The auburn haired man's coveted skills had managed to transfer over through his reincarnation, or whatever they were calling the event that allowed him to walk on the surface of the earth once more. 

"Fuck...John..."

***

It was probably well after six in the morning when Paul had finally made it to sleep. It was only five minutes after eight when he heard the pounding on his bedroom door. 

This was not how he wanted to start the day.

He pulled a t-shirt on and straightened his pajama pants. He took a deep breath, wondering if he might be able to ignore the knocking. The thought was quickly dashed from his mind when he remembered who was on the other side of the door.

He opened the door and squinted at the young woman who pushed her way into the threshold with her arms crossed. He didn't say a single word.

"Oh my god, I thought that you were never going to answer. I was about to pick the lock, c'mon." Breana said, moving her hands to her hips.

Paul raised his eyebrows. "I am very sorry. It appears that I have not gotten much sleep recently, in this past week especially. Where are we going?"

"You are one to talk," Breana scolded, knowing what he meant and refusing to answer his question.

"It is not simply a coincidence that one ends when the other begins, I hope you know,"

Breana rolled her eyes. "Regardless, Bruce wants both of us in the lab before ten,"

"Is this the situation where I am supposed to be full skinned, with Jay?"

"No, this is the situation where we maybe finally tell my brother what the hell is going on since it is starting to cause a negative impact on both of our lives. He is introducing us to this J'onn J'onzz person who might be able to help with your mood swings or something. And, seriously, when are you just going to call him John, we all know that his name isn't Jay and it certainly isn't Winston, so stop."

"The Martian Manhunter. I do not see what help that man can be to our current problem. Not even Bruce has the information. It isn't as if the man knows more about my mood swings then I do. You are the cause of them, every month..." Paul trailed off. He was lying about at least half of what he had said, but only for the sake of what was going to be a painfully awkward experience for both of them. 

"It is funny when you try to pull the wool over my eyes, it doesn't work. I know you are withholding information. I am not sure if you have noticed, but our bond only seems to be getting stronger over time."

Paul sighed and took one last look back at his sleeping lover, taking in his beauty, just in case. J'onn J'onzz was a good man, there was no doubt about it, and he was going to have plenty of answers relating to the current predicament that Paul and Bre were in, but that did not change the fact that he was also one of the few surviving members of the council. The council would have been quick to take Jay away from him again. They did not like the relationship in the past, certainly they would not like it now.

"Let's get on with it then, shall we?" He muttered, pushing her out of the way to finally leave the room.

***

"Have you considered going to a fertility doctor, Breana?" Bruce asked while he shuffled through paperwork. He was the absolute epitome of a strong, powerful businessman and so very much the opposite of the dark, brooding family man that Bre and Paul both knew. 

"No," She sighed. "I am not going to do that, there isn't a point,"

"Adam could first, if it bothers you. You could eliminate him as the problem, then doctors could help you focus on what is causing the sudden inability to conceive."

She shook her head, moving her hands into her lap. "He...Adam...isn't the problem, he's never had a problem, he's a god,"

Paul slowly reached over underneath the table and grabbed one of Breana's hands, giving it a tight squeeze. He had a feeling that their shared connection was the cause for her recent troubles. He hated it, but there wasn't anything he could do that he knew of to solve the problem. He didn't regret his decision to save her life, but he did regret the growing list of side effects.

"How do you know?" Bruce asked.

"I just do, it just makes sense that whatever is going wrong is directly related..." She stopped, once again at a loss for words because no one was aware of the sacrifice that Paul had made for her.

"Related to what?"

The door opened, and the man known as the Martian Manhunter entered the room. His stride was so smooth it looked as if he was gliding across the floor as he took each step. His polished demeanor and clean cut clothing only served to aid in the effect. Already Breana could see what made him a martian, having seen the same traits in the man sitting beside her.

"Good morning," The man spoke with a booming voice and no hint of any accent whatsoever. It was almost bizarre to hear someone speak without using a dialect or anything. It was just simple English.

The others replied to him in kind.

He turned and looked towards Paul. "Amazing that you still remain in that form, still using that earth name. What is it that draws you to keeping up these appearances when you could be the pretty lunar eyed boy you were sent as?"

"I am in the public eye. I am not able to simply cease aging or cease changing just because I have the power to do so. It is terrible enough that I have to compete with rumors that I am not even the man I claim to be, some think me an imposter." Paul explained.

J'onn nodded. "Very well, but perhaps do you think it is possible that you are faced with these horrid lies because your otherworldly status is not so easily hidden as it was before? Plenty of the messes that you have made over the many, many years you have spent walking the surface of this planet have been erased from time by the council, it is not so difficult to see why some might begin to question your true identity."

"Why yes, we all know how you handle those who wish to see this troublesome place see any form of improvement," Paul sneered, wanting only to belittle the man who stood in front of him.

"I did not make that decision personally, I'll have you know. I voted against it. The council gets what it wants no matter what. There had already been too much of the two of you swaying away from the path. The band, the wives, the children, and your own secret affair, the two of you would have rather watched our system burn than continue on with your mission."

"Enough!" Bruce shouted, reeling them in before it escalated any further. "I will have none of your nonsense. I brought J'onn J'onzz here for a specific reason. It is best to move on with it before I see to it that this meeting ends primarily in Martian bloodshed."

"Absolutely, Mr. Wayne, my apologies," J'onn said with a slight nod of his head.

"The same goes for me," Paul sighed.

"Okay. So, my personal favorite martian is also seemingly the best friend of my long lost sister. The two of them hardly spend any time apart, which is fine, but recently I have been noticing that Paul has been displaying signs of bipolar disorder, despite the fact that he claims a martian cannot have such a thing. I was hoping that you, being the only other martian that I know, would be able to help solve this." Bruce explained to the tall man who had yet to sit at the table.

It took only one glance at Paul for J'onn to assess the damage. He knew just from the way that Paul's body was instinctively turned towards Breana's what had transpired. It was ever so obvious to a martian. "Hmm,"

"What? What is it?" Bruce asked, looking over at Breana and Paul who were silent, looking each other in the eyes.

"It seems as though P'elia'rd has reduced his soul capacity," J'onn said very plainly.

Paul raised his eyebrows, mostly in shock at the sound of his birth name. It had been so long since he had heard it out loud that he had almost forgotten what it sounded like.

"What does that mean?" Bruce asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Breana added, her weak attempt to not seem like a suspicious party.

"It means that he has given his soul to another being. It is usually done to keep a loved one alive in times of crisis. Two halves of a soul might be in two different bodies, but those bodies can never be too terribly far apart without consequences. It is the equivalent of a swan from earth choosing it's mate. There can be only one, there will be only one. A soul mate, if you will. And, for a martian of his age to do such a thing, means the being he shared his soul with means a great deal to him."

Breana gulped and it was so audible that it made Paul realize that Bruce was staring at him rather intensely.

"His soul is in my sister, isn't it?" Bruce finally said, making the connection.

"I believe this to be the case, especially considering their level of closeness in a proximity where they could be apart. This is a large table, Bruce, there is plenty of room for them to sit, yet they have chosen to be directly by each other's sides. What does that tell you? There is a strong level of love and compassion between the two, more than even they realize, I am sure."

"Breana?! When did this happen?"

Paul cleared his throat. "Allow me to explain. On the night that we all thought her to be lost, I was able to find her, on the brink of death. I could not bare to deal with her loss in that moment and made the decision to keep her alive the only way that I knew how, I gave her half of my soul. I do not regret it. I knew that there would be issues, especially when this came into the light, but I did not care. I love her, and I will protect her until I take my dying breath. You can react however you would like, but please do not take this out on her in any way. This was my doing. I created this mess and I will clean it up any way that I can."

"This is why Breana is currently having trouble with conception," J'onn told them all. "Usually, when this sort of thing happens, the partners in question are already mated and there is not any concern with reproduction with another. For instance, I am sure it would be just a difficult for Paul to impregnate a woman at this time due to the soul sharing."

"Does that mean he is the only one that I can have a baby with?!" Breana shouted, ripping her hand away from Paul as she shot up from her seat with two fists slamming into the table. "I cannot...this cannot...fuck...fuck all of you, ya know that!? Fuck you! I did not come here so that you could tell me that I would never be able to have another baby with my husband! Fuck you!"

She stormed out, leaving the three men in awkward silence.

Paul stood up. "I'll go get her,"

"Do you really think that is a good idea?" Bruce asked.

He shrugged. "I won't know unless I try. I am the one that got her into this mess, in the first place, I might as well do everything in my power to make it right."

"There is one way, you know," J'onn began.

"What is that?" Paul asked.

"Give her the other half of your soul,"

Paul's heart sank. How the hell was he supposed to deal with all of this? 


	2. I'm An Iceberg With A Warm Heart

It was strange, finally catching up to Breana. In just a few minutes his heart rate had returned to normal, he was able to level his breathing, and he felt calm again. This was the first time he noticed it, but maybe he was never really paying any attention. Then again, maybe this was the furthest that they had been apart?

She was sitting outside in the grass across the street, casually destroying all of the plant life around her. She was crying, or at least she had been, and it was obvious, even from a distance. 

He took a deep breath, walking those final steps to get to her. All he needed to do was look at her in this state to know that the decision he was going to make was the right one. She deserved this life far more than he did. She wasn't the one who shot her spouse when they tried to take the life of an alien. 

He sat down beside her, breathing her in. He took the opportunity to commit every part of her face to memory, as if he was really ever going to be needing them. 

"I'm sorry," He whispered, accent suddenly stronger as he tried to hold his emotions in. 

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. This hadn't been the first time, but it certainly felt different. There was something in the way that she moved. Just as much as there was something in the way that he knew this would likely be their last bit of time together.

"Before I came to find you, I was told that there was another way to solve your problem. It hurts me to know that it has to go this way, but I know deep in my heart that I care about you enough to give it to you. I am going to give you the other half of my soul. It will bridge the gap, solve all of your problems, hopefully forever." Paul told her with a heavy heart.

She was shaking her head, doing her best to keep herself from crying harder. "No. No, you can't do that. I won't let you. You have Danny, and Zae, and...John...I can't let you give up your life for mine knowing that all of those people would be without you. John just got you back. I can't...no...I would rather be unable to have any more children with my husband than allow you to do this."

"I have already made my decision, Breana, and you will not be able to change it,"

"You cannot do this to me. You may think that you are doing it for me and that it will make my life better, but it won't. It fucking won't. The only thing that will make this better is if you promise me that you won't fucking do this. This is fucking stupid and you fucking know it!" She shouted, crying harder than she was before.

"I know that you say that now, but in time you won't even think about me. I am doing this for you, for your husband, for the protection of John, for the safety of Zae, for Danny to know that his father was as good a man as everyone claimed him to be."

"How don't you see it?! Can't you see it!?" 

"Breana..." He tried to fight back unsuccessfully once more, but it was no use. There wasn't anything that would get her to stop. 

Breana reached up and placed her hands on both sides of Paul's face, looking deep into his hazel eyes. Doe eyes, she guessed that they would be called, the perfect way to get the human race to trust such a face in the same way his voice soothed the masses. The longer she held his gaze, the more she thought about what she would say next. Pupils dilated and pulse racing, it would have been futile to even attempt to convince him that the drive that kept her from allowing this slow motion soul suicide was anything else than what was so obviously right in front of them.

She pulled him closer so their foreheads were touching. He didn't try to tell her what to do. He just remained silent and became pliable to her touch. It was just as true as it had been before, he would do anything for her. This was no exception.

Her wavering confidence held still for longer than a few seconds when he finally reached forward and placed a hand on one of her arms. She used the opportunity to take him by surprise, kissing him hard on the lips. She was driven by lust and fear as she pushed him onto his back, the two of them lying in the tall grass completely out of view.

She broke the kiss, rolling to the side of him with her head propped up on her elbow. She didn't make full eye contact with him, not yet. It was too much to take in all at once. She needed to process, just as she was sure that he needed to, as well. Her eyelashes fluttered over her eyes when he looked over, her best method at practically everything.

"You can't just do that, Breana, and think that everything will be okay..." 

Breana cut him off. "I didn't just do that, Paul. You know that I didn't just do that. I meant it when I did it. I meant it with every fiber of my being when I did it."

"Bre, I...I don't know what to say,"

"You only have to promise me that you won't give me the other half of your soul. My world has only improved for the better with you in it. I cannot bare to think of what it would be like to even have to go one day without you. You are far too important to me." 

"I do not think I can compete with your reasoning,"

"That is because you can't,"

Paul caressed the young woman's cheek, her soft skin feeling so supple under his touch. "Are you...in love with me?" He asked. He thought that he knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure.

A small smile took over her pretty lips. "I am,"

He sat up in a rush, urging her to do so, too. "What about your husband?"

"What about my husband?"

"Where does he fit in in all of this? Especially, after he finds out that you are unable to give him any more children?"

"He is my husband, so, if he wants to continue to be my husband he will find a way to accept what is going on. I love him with all of my heart, but I will not force him to stay if he is uncomfortable with the situation. What about John? Hell, what about Zae?"

Paul's eyes widened. "I never told you if I loved you back,"

"You don't have to, I already know,"

"I see,"

"So??"

"Right, right," He sighed. "Zatanna and I, since she lost her mind, we have not been good for each other. Your anniversary party was only the beginning. I think it is safe to say that the two of us do not see eye to eye as we used to and cannot continue on this path and still be in a healthy relationship. As for John, he is the love of my life, he always has been, through thick and thin. I have been given a second chance with him and wasting it would be horribly stupid. I don't know what I would do if I lost him again."

"Yeah, I really don't know what I would do without Adam. He is everything that I have ever wanted and more. I can't believe I have been lucky enough to call him mine. He is not quite as reasonable as I would like him to be, however, and that might pose a problem." She said, starting off strong and fading into a whisper.

"Alright, then, if we know all of this, where does that leave the two of us?"

Breana took a deep breath. "On a path of discovery, a careful and curious one. Maybe we simply remain like this, or perhaps, something more. I don't know. No one could in our situation. All I am one hundred percent certain of is the fact that I have been in love with you for way longer than I am willing to admit. Well, that, and the many different ways that I could get you into bed."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Not all that I think about, but I've put a lot of thought into different scenarios. You try waking up with a martian cock pressed against you...wait, please don't say anything about that."

He chuckled in response. 

"So...still planning on giving me the other half of your soul?"

"Perhaps, but certainly not in the way of the original intent,"

"Good,"

***

The night came quickly without much warning. Paul and Breana spent much of the afternoon talking, lying in the grass across the street. It was wonderful. They knew that they both needed to go inside and get some sleep, but it almost seemed as though sleep would never come to the odd pair. 

Breana had just managed to get her daughter in bed before managing to crawl into her own. She was dead tired, but it didn't keep her away from google search. The light from her phone screen irritating Adam.

"What could you possibly be looking up right now?" He asked in a very sexy whisper.

She giggled, setting her phone down to the side. "How to have your cake and eat it too,"

"Are we baking or is this a sex thing?"

She playfully slugged the older man in the shoulder. "Don't be silly,"

Adam grabbed both of Breana's wrists, pinning her to the mattress. "What would you like me to be, then?"

Breana bit her bottom lip. "You ever heard of a throuple?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: addressing the issues of the throuple when there are more than four, Adam/Bre smut, an argument, Bruce being downright awful, and some more nonsense with martians. Hooray!


	3. I'm Spiritual, Not Religious

"Shhh...shhh...it is going to be alright," Paul whispered in the little girl's ear. He held her close against his chest, trying to soothe her. 

It didn't take long for him to realize that Acenath had an ear infection. All of her symptoms were pretty obvious. He would have loved to take it all away, and in a more perfect world he could have, but he just could not muster up the strength to heal the young demigod for whatever reason. He had struggled with this fact in previous attempts, learning more about the extent of his ability to heal those around him. In part, he wondered if it was her mother's DNA that was not allowing him to do this, connected to their soul sharing in some bizarre way. In reality, it was probably more closely related to the council not wanting him to continue his meddling. 

He did what he could to put her to sleep, placing her back in her toddler bed that made her look so very small. It was almost hard to believe that she was rapidly approaching her fourth birthday. So much had happened in such little time.

His heart fluttered. The feeling so strange it took him by surprise. It hadn't been the only odd thing that he had felt lately, another thing to add to the long list of out of the norm coincidences and occurrences. He had basically made up his mind, definitely assuming that this was all on account of Breana's recent confession.

He collected himself and walked out of the little girl's bedroom. Immediately he was stopped by a perplexed looking Adam.

"Paul, what were you doing?"

"Not that it matters, but I was making the best use of my free time. Your daughter has an ear infection, proving that her half-god powers do not equate to a perfect immune system. I was simply helping her get back to sleep. Obviously, I was the only one who heard her." He explained very carefully.

"Why do your hands look like that?" Adam asked, distractedly looking down at them with newfound curiosity.

Paul held out his hands, half expecting to see his green Martian skin. Instead, he saw pale, youthful skin that looked nothing like that of the seventy-five year old skin that he had grown used to over the last decade. He had been aging rather gracefully in this form, in most respects, so seeing this was indeed a shock.

"I do not know what is going on, this is a tad bit odd,"

"Does the Martian race de-age after a certain amount of time? Is this the process?"

Paul shook his head, still staring at his hands, beginning to notice that there were other patches on his arms that matched the almost porcelain pallor of his hands. The coloring reflected the so called lunar glow he had in his younger days. 

"Then what the hell is going on with you?"

"If I had to guess, I still wouldn't even have the faintest idea," He replied, taking a deep breath. "It does sort of add another layer of drama to it all, with everything else that is going on,"

Adam immediately tensed up. The topic to which Paul was referring to made him ridiculously uncomfortable, unable to even make eye contact with the man when Breana was around. He squinted at him, weighing his options, knowing he needed to choose his next words wisely.

"I...really do not think it is in the best interest of my wife to pursue you on a romantic level. I know that she is under the impression that she is in love with you, but I believe that it is just a passing fancy, a minor infatuation due to the amount of time that the two of you have spent close with each other. Besides, you cannot think that this is a good idea, either, being a man of your status. You happen to also have a wife, and a partner."

"Correction: I have a soon-to-be ex-wife whom is highly mentally unstable despite recent reports that she is indeed the opposite. She has little flights of being semi-aware and seemingly with the present, but the truth remains that Zander's kidnapping destroyed her completely. I regretfully pulled a gun on her at a party that you held, because she had proceeded to attempt to choke out the young man who would soon become my lover. My partner, he is a reincarnated version of my first love, something that happened in a way that I still do not understand. Breana and I have already discussed all of this."

"Then how does this all fit together? It certainly does not fall in line with her theory that we will become a throuple. Four does not equal three, and I am not interested in you in that capacity. You are not my type."

"Certainly, because your type includes Billy Batson and children of Thomas and Martha Wayne," Paul deadpanned, knowing it was a hair trigger for the man.

"Paul,"

The Martian shook his head. "Maybe we don't discuss this right now. It can wait until another time. We all need to get used to whatever this is. Even if this becomes a strange dynamic that no party is prepared for."

"Fine. Fine." Adam muttered, turning to walk away.

Paul sighed. He scanned his eyes over his hands once again. It was interesting, to say the least, and left him with plenty of questions, ones that he probably would never have answered.

He pushed himself off of the wall and turned to go in the opposite direction of Adam. He needed to think and he definitely did not know what it was going to happen.

He needed to see his son, his lover, and Breana. Not necessarily in that order.

***

Danny was pacing. It was driving Breana insane. They had only been at the cafe for fifteen minutes, but the boy was losing his shit waiting for their guests.

It was bad enough that Danny was paying to keep the place empty for the next two hours. The longer they had to wait, the less time they would have in private.

"Maybe this just isn't even a good idea. They aren't here yet, my dad isn't here yet, Jay isn't here yet, this is stupid." Danny grumbled.

Breana groaned. "Sit the heck down, would you? I can't keep up with your nonsense right now. You are being ridiculous. Everyone will be here. They have to be. Especially Paul, because I am here."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Breana smiled, feeling that no was as good a time as any to let him in on what was going on. "Danny, if I tell you what is going on, you are going to need to be sitting down because this is a really big deal and I have no idea how you are going to react. I am worried about it, actually, but you are still my brother, despite everything, and I have to tell you. Mostly, because I am excited about it and because it is basically the biggest deal ever. Oh my god, Danny, please don't get mad at me."

"What? What? What the hell is going on, Bre? I don't understand."

"SIT," She commanded.

He did.

"Good, now please don't judge me, because this is just crazy...okay?"

He nodded, although she still was not completely convinced that he was going to be able to keep still and listen.

"Alright, so...um...I know it has been super weird knowing that your dad and the young, hot Jay Winston who you had a crush on even though you knew that he was the man you were hunting down intentionally for the purpose of reuniting him with your father, especially because that meant there was literally no possible way for your dad to get back together with your mother. Even though, your mother is not exactly with it. And, she got shot."

"Would you stop rambling and get to the damn point?"

"Okay," Breana took a deep breath. "Your father...Paul, he...shared his soul with me in order to keep me alive during that fateful night when everyone thought I was gone. He found me, he saved me. Well, things have changed since then, a lot, actually. The two of us, we love each other."

"Um...love?"

"I am in love with him, yes, in the same way that I am in love with my own husband. He loves me the way he loves John."

Danny's jaw dropped open, but he didn't make a sound. His eyes left Breana, catching the man in question in the side of his line of sight. Paul had arrived fashionably late, John on his arm, but there was definitely something different about his appearance. He just couldn't place a finger on it. 

"Where would you like us to sit?" Paul asked, trying to hide the fact that there was something going on with his voice. 

"You can sit beside me, John by Danny," Breana suggested. 

"Very well," Paul sat down beside the young woman. He casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying his best to make it look friendly and not romantic.

"You do not have to be so tense, dad, I know that there is something going on between you two. She told me." Danny mumbled.

Paul seemed to relax at that. It was at least one thing that was out in the open. He still felt like he was being stared at by everyone at the table, but he didn't know how to explain his sudden change in looks if someone were to ask. He probably would have been doing the same had any of their roles been reversed.

There was a drawn out silent for a few moments. No one really knew what to say. It was not supposed to be this awkward among people who were familiar with each other. it just felt odd. This was even more true with two of them knowing that they were waiting for the mother-son duo that potentially held the key to unlocking John's Martian powers.

From what Danny had been told, everything was all held in a small, locked box. 

Breana was staring with an intense gaze at Paul. She was so entranced by the way his skin was such a pale color and the darkening of his hair. It was very intriguing, and somehow only served to make him even more sexy.

Finally, the two in question arrived. The woman already knew Paul, meeting him here on occasion to reconnect, the two halves of John's heart. She was not acquainted with the other three, minus seeing Breana in passing. When she had spoken to Danny on the phone he had not informed her that there would be others at their meeting, he had only urged her to bring her son, who wasn't much older than he should have been now. 

When John looked up his breath hitched. He never thought that he would see either of them again, assuming it was much too risky. Yet, here they were, standing right before him, not even recognizing him when they met his stare. He didn't look that different, save for a few changes that had modernized his appearance, but he was still ever the man he had been when he was in their lives. He didn't blame the man, not really, anyways, remembering just how young he had been when his death had rocked such a large percentage of the occupants currently standing in this room in the cafe.

His eyes darted back down at the table. He knew it was best to remain silent, never knowing who might be tagged to alert the council.

The woman turned to face the table. "Well, just by looks I am going to guess that the young man by the window is Daniel,"

He nodded. "Yes, Ma'am, it is so good to finally meet you," 

"Likewise," She said before turning towards Paul. "And, you, look...awfully pale, are you alright?"

He let out a puff of air that caused the stray, dark hair that had fallen in his face to move upwards. "That word has many variable definitions,"

"To which you could at least narrow down,"

He nodded. "I assume that I am alright. Whatever is going on with my body has proved to be rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things. All I am one hundred percent sure of is that I have begun to have...better skin."

"You might want to get that looked at," She chuckled. "Even though it does not seem to do you any harm."

"Shall we begin with the box?" Danny asked.

The woman smiled. "But of course,"

John slid his glasses down to the end of his nose. His eyes were locked onto Paul's, but his mind was elsewhere. He was twitchy, unable to keep still. He kept moving his fingers, stretching out his hands and clenching them back into balled fists. It was too much. 

"First you must explain what the heck is wrong with him,"

"He, is the Martian,"

"Oh!" She shouted, clasping her hands together. "Jay!"

"I prefer John, actually," He grumbled. 

The window crashed in with a black clad bat and a blue boyscout. "C'mon, we've got to go!"

"Who has to go?" More than one asked.

"Um, all of you..." Clark said, still unsure of the words considering the two that they did not know.

"What the fuck!?" Bre shouted, half at her brother and his husband and half at Paul in full skin. 

This was going to be interesting.


	4. Castle Built in the Sand

"We are...under attack...probably..." Clark stammered, a little hung up on the fact that he had once again been thrust into another awkward situation with some rather legendary people, and of course, the fact that Paul was bald and extremely green in appearance. 

"We are under attack? Probably?" Breana repeated, trying to bridge the gap and fill in some of the missing information.

"We are definitely under attack, say why is the boy not shifting as well?" Bruce asked, ripping off his cowl and walking over to them.

John groaned. "Because I can't, I can't shift and I am useless,"

Paul grabbed his hand, the stark difference between his green skin and John's more human looking coloring burning quite the impression in his brain. "You are so far from useless,"

"He can't shift, but can he use any of his reserves? Or pull off of yours?"

Paul nodded. "Of course he can use his reserves. Mine, on the other hand, are already at half drain due to circumstances out of my control."

"Why can't you shift, John?" Breana asked. She felt like they had been spending way too much time discussing the subject, but that did not mean that she did not want the answer to the question.

"The council produced a mechanism that caused any additional found green martians to be unable to use their full powers, knowing full well what we were capable of under the right conditions. on a technicality, due to the bizarre nature of his rebirth, he is considered to be a new martian, despite that he is an original. That is why he cannot transform into his true self, or anything else, currently." Paul explained.

"Fair enough, how long does it take to get his full powers out of the box?"

"Longer than we have time for, unfortunately," John mumbled. "Let's go, eh? We have some bad guys to take down."

***

There had been no exaggeration on anyone's part regarding the current state of Gotham. In the madness of the Joker's resurgence the entirety of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate had been released. The city ran amok with all of the criminals sane and insane as they terrorized the city ten fold.

The group that had been rounded up was prepared to take them all on. They were going to split up into groups, and from there tackle individual sections of the cities until they all worked back to the Narrows where a majority of the larger issues seemed to be taking place. The severity of the situation would be easier assessed from there.

Except, that was not what happened. Their good intentions lead them to a path right into hell.  

"Where did he take her?!" Bruce shouted, grabbing one of Joker's clowns by the shoulders. He doubted their answer would be of any value to him, mental state wavering from one extreme to the next, but he couldn't keep himself from searching for hope.

John stood still and stoic. He closed his eyes, arms out at his sides. He used gravity to push himself off of the ground, levitating above them all. His fingers began glowing, a massive surge of all the pent up energy he had in his reserves building within his very core. He let out a powerful scream, body slamming back down into the pavement with a bright white explosion. Everyone that was behind the energy field was thrown back, hitting the ground, but still safe. Those in the front of the field, their enemies, were thrown hundreds of feet forward with their skin singed from the heat of the blast. 

No one had expected anything quite like that. 

When the aftershocks cleared John rose to his feet like a machine, ready to battle once more. Suddenly, Bruce understood so much more. J'onn J'onzz had warned him about this one.

John was no ordinary Martian. This being the exact reason the council had chosen to terminate him in his last life. And, he was only at half power, the remainder somehow contained in the box the Asian woman had at the cafe.

A guttural scream resonated through the air, shaking the core of those closest to the source. John was once more producing the glow from his hands. A blast followed shortly after, destroying the glass from buildings and completely wrecking the foundations. Anyone within fifteen feet of the site was immediately injured, the white hot light ripping through to the muscle.

"Where the hell has all of that been? We could have been using him." Clark whispered, standing back far enough for John not to hear him.

"I'm not sure, but it kind of worries me..."

"In the same way that I used to worry you?"

"Precisely,"

John slammed his fists into the broken cement around him. Pieces flew up around them, the light flowing through the cracks up to the final few that still stood. Somehow, this one young Martian had taken them all down.

***

"Paul? Paul? Can you hear me?" Breana whispered out into the darkness. She could feel his presence, but there was no telling if he was actually conscious.

"Yes, I can hear you," He reached out and grabbed her hand, proving he was even closer than she originally thought.

"Thank goodness. What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was trying to get that guy to tell us where Penguin was."

"I was actually hoping that you might have had some clue. I remember even less than that. Then everything, went black." Paul mumbled.

"You sound strange...are you okay?" Breana tapped into her night vision for the first time in years, adjusting. Her eyes fell on Paul and her jaw dropped. "Hold up, what the fuck is going on with your face?"

"Am I not green? I can't tell at the moment." He waved his hand in front of his face, hoping to at least have some way to tell. "Oh...dear...I can't see this as a good thing."

"I can..." Breana whispered. She was trying really hard to not be distracted by the way he looked, but the way he looked was absolutely incredible. She had done her research on him once when she had gotten extremely curious one day, but that didn't compare to the real thing.

"Don't get too attached, who knows if I might shift back,"

"I won't, but I can't see any reason as to why I shouldn't enjoy it while it lasts, besides, in case you have forgotten, I find you incredibly sexy all of the time. This is just another side of you."

Paul sighed. "We are captive somewhere and you're aroused?"

Breana scooted closer to Paul, resting her head on his shoulder. She stopped denying herself touch, reaching out and running one of her hands down his arm and across his chest, and then down his thigh. She had never really gotten the chance to explore him, and she couldn't think of a reason why she shouldn't take advantage of the situation they were currently in. There was no time like the present.

Paul tried to distract himself. They had come to the agreement that there would not be an intimate relationship between the two of them until they had figured everything else out. Yet, her hands seemed to melt all of the reasons they had decided to wait away. There was nothing there to stop them. No John, no Adam, no children, no soon to be ex-wives. It was just the two of them, and they had no idea if they would ever see the light of day.

By the time Breana had worked up enough courage to unzip Paul's pants, his last ditch efforts to not allow this to happen had failed. She had her hand wrapped around the base of his cock and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He wanted her, too.

"Bre...I...are you sure about this?" He whispered through a moan.

She nodded. "Of course. Who knows what is going to happen from here? We might not even make it out alive. This might be our only chance to act on these feelings. Every single day that I don't get to do this, it fucking hurts, because I love you and I want to show you exactly what that means. Adam might not like it, but if he loves me then he will learn to accept that this is just another evolution to our relationship."

"You never have to show me. None of that matters. All that I care about is..."

Breana pressed a finger against Paul's soft lips. "You don't have to tell me that. I know. I know. You want this, so just let this happen." She was straddling him, ready for him, already soaked through her panties. Whatever it was about him, that one little thing that she couldn't pinpoint, was absolutely driving her wild.

Their lips finally met. Passion and lust driving their desires beyond anything that either could have imagined. There was something so perfect about this very moment.

"Breana, my love," Paul practically sang the words, arms wrapping around her petite waist.

"Paul...take me already..."

***

The Asian woman's son rushed to John's side when he finally collapsed. They had just made it back to Adam and Breana's manor, with John barely making it to the steps before he fell to the ground.

"We need to open the box!" He shouted.

The Asian woman agreed, fumbling to put the code into the box's lock as quickly as she possibly could. She handed it off to her son who placed the box beside John who was completely out cold. Purple light flowed out and around, enveloping John's body in its glow. The light absorbed into him until there was nothing, and the box was completely empty.

"What did that just do?" Bruce asked.

"It ensured that he did not suffer the same fate as before. At full power, he won't die painfully and slowly as the rest of his kind drains from him." The woman explained.

"I don't understand,"

"John was born of unique circumstances. He has always possessed such immense power that his kind feared him. The product of the finest genetic lines, so incredibly gifted, with a mind unlike any of the others. They decided not long after his birth that his excess power would have to be managed. That was when their council made the effort to use his powers as their reserves so that he would never be so powerful as to take them down or become a threat. For his rebirth, that was unplanned and unprecedented, he was only born with his own reserves from his death in tact. Which was still far more than any Martian could ever hope to have. I spent years tracking down where this restoration was. They took it from him right before they killed him, allowed a man to murder him in front of his own home." She sighed. "He was supposed to be immortal, able to save his dying race, but they took advantage of him because they did not like what they did not understand. His way of thinking and his power was too much for them."

Her words began to ramble, but the idea remained the same. John wasn't an evil creature that the council could not control, he was a misunderstood powerhouse that could have saved them all. J'onn J'onzz was wrong.

"I was told that they ended his life because he was too progressive for their kind, and because they did not accept his choice in partners,"

She was suddenly silent, scraping her foot against the ground. She had no further words on the subject. Bruce wondered why.

John moved like a machine again, rising to his feet for a moment before slamming his fists down into the steps that lead to the main entrance. Pieces of the cement flew up around them as the pain ran through his body, healing him with the powers he hadn't had in so long.

He stood up once again, eyes scanning the group. "I need to find him. They will kill him if I can't. This will change him."

 


	5. Climbing Up the Tower

The light blaring through the windows and the holes in the walls woke Paul up the moment that it hit his face. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he knew that his sleep had not been very restful. He moved his hand in front of his face to protect his eyes. 

His hands were back to normal. At least, as normal as his hands ever had been. He wasn't green and he wasn't pale and young, so that was the word he was going to use. 

Breana was still asleep, arms wrapped around his torso, her head on his chest. She looked so beautiful. 

Reality sank in a few moments later. 

"Morning," Breana mumbled, looking up at him. "Hey, you look like you used to."

"I figured. My hands. Hope that doesn't disappoint you too much." 

Breana shook her head. "Of course not, this is the you that I fell in love with. You are beautiful inside and out, no matter what."

Paul smiled, pulling her into a soft kiss that quickly became something more. 

She found the strength to break their lip lock after the heated embrace lit up her insides. She loved him, yes, and wanted him even more now than she had the night before, but that did not change the fact that they did not know where they were and her husband and family would be looking for them both. The reality of John and exactly who he was gnawed at the back of her mind, as well, a sort of nagging detail that would always be there to keep them from ever completely being together.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "We should probably get dressed. Now that it is light outside, we might actually be able to get out of here on our own terms." 

"Are you sure that is all?"

"Of course, Paul. I would never lie to you."

"Alright, let's do this. The Martian and the Bionic. We should be in a comic."

***

John had long since forgotten what it was like to feel all of his power flowing through his veins. There was a purple tint to his blood that once ran dark blue. As strange as it was, it felt right. With this newfound strength he was focused and ready. He was going to save the love of his life, and the married woman he had fallen for.

"Come...all of you. Bring all of your heroes. Bring everything you've got. We must save them." He announced to the family and friends that were still gathered around the stairs where broken cement still laid in piles near his feet.

"How can we help? What do you want us to do?" Clark asked excitedly.

"Anything that you can fathom. We do not know what we are going to be up against. Even my power can be outmatched. Nothing is impossible." John's voice seemed to command the group, despite being so detached from them previously.

They all moved at the wave of his hand, feeling drawn to follow his lead. It was almost as if his power was affecting them in an unprecedented way. He could control the minds of humans and metahumans alike, without them noticing a thing. This was what Bruce had been warned about, brushing it off as if it was nothing.

He turned to face them, continuing the motions of his hands. He waved them intricately until the light energy was visible surging around him like electricity. He wasn't phased by those who had turned into mindless zombies before him. His gestures only mirrored the message. He sent them on their way, hoping the grand bunch would serve as a distraction for what he was about to do.

***

"Oh, no," Paul said echoing the likes of a certain Friends character as he stopped to lean against the wall. He stared in disbelief at his hands, noticing the strange gradient of color that changed from his palm to the tips of his fingers. The palest echoed the strange white tone that complimented his youthful appearance on the very tips, followed gradually by his natural green, and his palms remained as he would have liked them, familiar. 

Breana had gotten a few feet ahead of him before she noticed a lack of footsteps following. She quickly turned around to go back for him, grabbing him by the wrists to examine what had frozen him in place only moments prior. 

"What is going on?!" The fear rose in her, worried they wouldn't be able to move forward.

Paul shook it off, standing up straight. "Nothing, nothing. This is the complete opposite of a problem. I am simply changing colors...again."

"I got that much, but why?"

"I wish I knew...it is almost as if I am unable to maintain my ability to hold my image. I am losing the power to shapeshift, as if someone is draining it right out of me."

"Shouldn't you be turning green then?"

Paul pursed his lips, one of his hands still near his face. "How much do you know about Martians?"

"Basically what you have told me, and the very little bit of information I have gotten out of others or my own research, why?"

"The skin on the tips of my fingers, it is pale, but still has a slight human tone to it. I was born with it, I came into my natural green skin later when I was a child, much to my father's relief." Paul began.

"You have already lost me,"

"My mother...she was not a Green Martian, meaning, by default, I am not one either. At least, not full blooded. Green Martian genetics are stronger, aiding in my abilities being far more in line with my father's. I have associated myself with being a Martian just like that part of my family."

"What was your mother? Was she human?"

He shook his head. "Hardly. She was hybrid. Twenty-five percent of her DNA was human, seventy-five percent White Martian. I was never quite as white as that race, even from birth because of the human DNA. Still, there was a time when it was feared by my family that I might have to be hidden before my true form manifested. The pigment simply was delayed."

"White? Green? What?"

Paul looked past Breana. Someone was coming. Unsavory thoughts riddled their mind as they approached. It was sex or death, meaning the two of them could not stay there any longer. "Remind me to tell you later. Right now, we need to save ourselves. Quick. Hide."

"Huh?" She said, spinning around to face where the sound was coming from.

"Bre...get down..." Paul grabbed the young woman by the arm and yanked her down to where he was crouched behind a large cabinet. He pressed a finger to her lips to keep her silent, indicating that she needed to listen for the all clear.

Footsteps stopped in front of the cabinetry. Whomever stood on the other side lingered, waiting. They inhaled deeply, assessing the air, searching for something that was out of the ordinary. Breana and Paul remained completely still, holding their breath. Terror almost completely taking over. 

Finally, the footsteps could be heard walking away. They waited until they were faint, even on their ears. Slowly, they stood up. They were safe, for now, but that fact could have changed in an instant.

Paul scanned the room for a less conspicuous way out. The far wall had light shining through it. It was almost large enough for Breana to fit through without making too much noise. It seemed simple enough. If it led to the outside, then she could get help and hopefully come back for him. If it led to another room, then he would find a way around to catch up with her as one set of footsteps was easier hidden than two.

He pointed toward the damaged wall. 

Breana, however, wasn't having it. "White Martians and Green Martians, how come I had barely heard of one and suddenly there is another? You probably lied about there being purple ones, didn't you? You can turn purple, can't you? What does this mean? If you are a hybrid who presents as Green instead of White, are your powers different than a normal Green Martian? Did you inherit anything from your mother? What does a White Martian even look like? Does the council know? Does John know? Is this like coming out of the alien closet or something?"

The rate that Breana rattled off questions made the man's head spin. He wasn't prepared. He didn't have answers that would magically quell her inquisitiveness. He was more concerned with getting her to safety.

"Listen to me for five seconds before you start spouting off more of that..."

Breana nodded.

"Go through the hole in that wall, without hurting yourself. If it goes outside, go get help."

"If it doesn't?"

"Stay put and I will come to you,"

"Or you could also go through the hole. It is just a hole. It is not like this building is in spectacular shape or anything. It would make more sense to just power through it no matter what was on the other side. If there even is another side."

Paul took a deep breath. "Please, just do it."

"Okay,"

They managed their way across the room quietly. Breana was able to get through to what was another room with ease. Paul stood up, ready to head down the hallway to find another way in. He spun around, coming face to face with a disturbing painted face.

"Where do you think you're going? The fun is just about to start. I need you for my show tonight, old man."

Paul closed his eyes. His body became weightless, and the deranged man in front of him was able to wrap a tight hand around his throat and lift him into the air with ease. 

When he reopened his eyes, everything became heavy again, even heavier still than it had been before. The man was forced to let go of him as he fell to the ground with a thud. Something was off. He was almost certain that this was the moment that he was going to die.

***

"John is standing on top of the building behind it, looking down. It must be the one." Bruce told his companions. He recognized the building. He knew it inside and out. All it would take was one thermal scan to figure out if it was what they were looking for. 

"Is it?" Adam asked in desperation. This was happening far too frequently these days. 

Before Bruce could even say the word yes the building surged bright blue. Light flooded from the windows, breaking all of the glass that hadn't already been smashed in. The weak infrastructure of the building rattled, pieces crumbling down to the ground. The foundation gave way, leaving room for it to fall into a pile of rubble. They were too late. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you thought I was dead. I'm not, I'm just wounded.


	6. I Don't Want To Let You Go

The efforts of all emergency crews in Gotham was outstanding. The collapse of the building, the explosion, this wasn't unusual for the broken city, they had trained and prepared for it. The only difference is that they were not trained for how difficult it would all be with the Wayne family breathing down their necks the entire time, desperate to help in any way possible, with or without permission. They were not going to give up on those that were inside, and they had expected the same from the crews that were there to take care of the problems at the scene.

"I hear something," John had stood back from the piles of rubble through most of it. He had been quiet, contemplating exactly what had gone wrong. Or, perhaps, he had just been listening, waiting for his moment to aid the efforts. 

Adam turned toward the super powerful Martian. He was trying not to let his hopes get too high. His wife was Bionic, but that did not make her completely indestructible. She was not impervious to being crushed by a four story building. 

"They are not even looking in the right place," John mumbled, aware of what was able to be heard by the metahumans and gods that surrounded him. 

He didn't wait for any response. He moved forward with such purpose, each stride with more speed than the last. He approached the side of the collapsed building that appeared mostly intact. This particular room had avoided complete destruction, possibly being a load bearing part of the weakened structure. He could hear a woman breathing. He knew she was scared and tense, but she was alive and that was what mattered. 

When eyes were not on him he moved a large piece of the split wall off of the front of the room. The light exposed the young woman, face bruised and bleeding from being struck with the falling debris. She was safe. However, John was not happy with the fact that she was alone.

He held his hand out to her. Once she accepted he pulled her out of the room, scooping her up into his arms before carefully crawling down the rubble onto the street below. He sat her down on her feet, standing close in case she stumbled. There was an eerie silence between them, and including the maddeningly large crowd of bystanders and emergency response crews. No one understood how he was able to find her when no one else seemed capable. 

"Thank you, John. I do not know how to repay you for saving me. I will spend the rest of my days being grateful." She whispered.

"My beloved, he loves you, therefore I could not let anything happen to you, especially when you have half of his soul, among other things," John's eyes seemed to drift down to Breana's abdomen, but it was so quick she wasn't sure if she was imagining things. Surely, she had to have been, because she had only just slept with the still missing Paul.

"He is alive," She muttered.

John nodded. "I know, because if he wasn't, you wouldn't be, either,"

"We have to find him, I can tell he is weakened,"

"That is my next mission, but I might need help. I do not wish to cause suspicions. Another humanoid would make our efforts look more believable."

"I could help,"

"Absolutely not. I will not risk either of you over this. The only thing I need you to do is confirm his location."

Adam walked up and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder. "Do you know how worried I was that I had lost you? I do not believe that I could handle the pain if you were to be taken from me in such a way. I could not bare to suffer the pain of telling our daughter that her mother had perished. I love you too much to even imagine it."

Breana leaned her lead against Adam's chest. She always loved how warm he was. His embrace was forever a part of her, lingering in feeling long after it broke. "I love you, too,"

"You are missing your other love," Adam said, matter of factly.

"I am,"

"We will find him,"

"We have to,"

John turned towards the couple. "Adam, you should assist me in lifting. The faster that we are able to move along the better. It would be rather unfortunate to cause suspicion of aliens other than Superman. Paul is still a public figure."

"Agreed, we must proceed with utmost care. He is a strong Martian, but there is no doubt that any risks taken would also be at the risk of my wife, which I cannot allow."

"Of course,"

A few of the emergency response team members crowded around the worst of the cement and drywall piles. It was thought to be the main source of the explosion based on the way that everything had fallen, however, to the average eye it was not caused by a single event, when in fact that was the case. Paul's power surge had caused the building to collapse, this much Bruce and his team were certain, it was the reasoning behind it that they were unsure of.

"There," Breana pointed at the crews beginning to move the massive rubble away from that spot. "That is where he is. I can feel him."

Adam and John looked at each other, nodding in agreement to move towards the pile. Bruce and Clark were not far behind. No one seemed bothered by the fact that all of these people were here in street clothes, people that normally would not have gathered in Gotham to clean up a building collapse. They did make a few attempts to stop them from climbing up and helping, but they quickly realized that there was real purpose behind what they were doing. 

Breana climbed up behind the group, despite being ordered onto the ground twice. "Macca...I know that you can hear me. We are getting you out of there. Stay strong. Stay with us. For me. For John. For Danny. You have to come home with us."

A heavy cement slab and pieces of wood were thrown to the side. Two pale white hands shot out of the hole, feeling around for something else to move. Drywall and broken furniture were pushed out of the way, making room for the arms that were attached. The skin on them was torn up and bruised, but Breana could pick out that the ripped sleeves covering them belonged to the shirt that Paul had been wearing. 

John and Adam slid one troublesome piece away from the hole that Paul was creating to get out, freeing up enough space for him to pull part of his body upwards. What everyone saw was a young Paul, much like the one Breana had seen the night before.

He managed to get himself out up to his waist. "Before anyone says anything, I already know. Before anyone says anything else, I think my right leg is broken and I do not want it to heal while it is trapped under here so I am going to need some help."

Everyone worked together to get him back on solid ground. He stood with his weight on his left leg, using John as support to keep from falling. 

"Is anyone going to say it?" Clark whispered.

"Say what?" Paul asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Why did you do that?" He asked. "Also, why do you look like that?"

"I do not think we have time to rationalize all of that with a response. We need to get out of here. There are still issues spawned from what happened last night. We need to get somewhere safe, preferably before people start to realize that I am not going to a hospital."

***

"Why must he look like that? It is very distracting. Being a Martian and being green are one thing, but I do not appreciate his current appearance. What has happened to the non threatening older man?" Adam rambled off, glaring at Paul who was placed on a long, green sofa with his right leg elevated and his bass in his hands. He had simply wanted something to do to pass the time, he was not trying to piss anyone off.

He looked back at Adam with wide eyes. "Are you jealous of the way I look or simply angry at me for still existing? I am just not sure."

"I am not jealous of the way that you look,"

"Good. You really shouldn't be. I assume that I will be back to normal in no time. This did not exactly last long the previous time that it happened. That narrows it down though, too, doesn't it? You are angry with me for making it out of that alive?"

Adam said nothing.

"Your wife is alive because I am still walking on this earth. The two of us are halves of the same soul. Deal with that as you wish. I am quite certain that you will come to the same conclusion that I have. Life is much better with her than it is without."

"You will always be around. I've been told. I understand."

"It is true. My love is just as strong as yours, so I have come to believe. Honestly, sharing the woman I love with her husband is of little concern to me. Unconventional, yes, but I have someone else, as well. She shares me with John. I think it is better that way. There is enough to go around for all of us. No need to throuple or whatever it was she had gotten herself stuck on. I am hoping I erased those thoughts when we made love."

Adam took a deep breath. He was trying to focus his energy on not getting angry with the man. They had been civil and friendly before, there was no reason they couldn't be again. "I see,"

He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Paul and his hofner alone.

***

Adam found Breana in the master bathroom, towel drying her hair. Her beautiful body, complete with some new fast fading bruises was still dripping wet from the shower. He approached her slowly, wanting to be sure that she wasn't startled by him. He knew what he wanted, however, and he knew that he was going to get it.

"Paul told me something..." He whispered, spinning her around and setting her on the counter.

"Yeah?"

"He said something about the two of you,"

"Where are you going with this?"

Adam dropped down to his knees and spread Breana's legs apart. "I am just reminding you of who is actually supposed to make you feel good,"


End file.
